Cell structures for use in filling and closing containers



April 1950 v G. MEYER-JAGENBERG 2,933,869

CELL STRUCTURES FOR USE IN FILLING AND CLOSING CONTAINERS Filed March 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 APril 1960 G. MEYEE-JAGENBERG 2,933,869

G AND CLOSING CONTAINERS CELL STRUCTURES FOR USE IN FILLIN Filed' March 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent CELL STRUCTURES FOR USE IN FILLING AND CLOSING CONTAINERS Giinther Meyer-Jagenberg, Dusseldorf-Grafenherg, Germany, assignor to Jagenberg-Werke AKT.-Ges., Dusseldorf, Germany Application March 24, 1959, Serial No. 801,478 Claims priority, application Germany April 5, 1958 6 Claims. (Cl. 53201) Broadly, the invention relates to the art of filling and closing containers, and more particularly containers of cardboard, paper and kindred carton-forming materials of the type generally intended for use in holding liquids such as milk.

Specifically, the invention is directed to improvements in cell 'structures, including folding blade means and container supporting means so constructed and arranged as to be employed with containers of varying sizes.

In machines of this type, the container is generally moved to the filling, folding and sealing stations by means of a cell conveying arrangement moved intermittently or continuously. To process containers of different sizes, it becomes necessary to prearrange the various components for containers of different sizes and cross-section. This has been accomplished heretofore by providing for each size of container, cell insert means which are mounted on the apparatus as required. This known procedure further entails the changeover of the folding means for each container size, and as a consequence the apparatus both as to structural detail and operation is quite complex. Furthermore, the changeover for the various size containers entails an unduly long interruption of operation which is undesirable. Yet, a further objectionable feature is the necessity of maintaining an extensive supply of different cell insert means and folding'means which materially increases the operating cost of the apparatus.

To overcome the above specifically mentioned and other disadvantageous characteristics of the prior art, is the primary object of the present invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cell structure including folding blade means and container supporting means which is so constructed that the folding blade means are operable for all container sizes, and with the container supporting means being exchangeable for use with various sized containers, and the folding blade means together with the container supporting means including complemental components permitting the desired container supporting means to be secured to and removed from the folding blade means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cell structure of the type hereinabove set forth including a sectional container supporting means in which at least one of the sections is swingably mounted.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of cell structure means permitting the changeover from one container size to another container size to be effected in a simple, easy, and relatively speedy manner, whereby the interruption of the operation of the apparatus for such changeover is of a very short duration.

Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a cell structure which includes few essential working parts or components, and by virtue of the exchangability of the container supporting means only, the cell structure is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to one "ice skilled in the art from the following specification and annexed drawings, and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a cell structure according to the present invention, with the cell structure being in the open position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1, illustrated on a reduced scale;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, with the compogents of the cell structure being in the closed position, an

Figure 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the essential components of the cell structure.

For the purpose of simplicity, the filling, folding, and sealing stations have not been illustrated, although such a general arrangement is shown and described in United States applications, Serial Nos. 602,007, now Patent No. 2,888,794, and 746,861, filedAugust 3, 1956, and July 7, 1958, respectively, and such applications being owned by the assignee of this application.

As shown in the drawings, a conveying means 1 such as a link belt is movable into operativev relation with the filling, folding, and sealing station. Cell structures C, one of which is illustrated in the drawings, are adapted to be carried by the conveying means 1, and includes components 2, 3 mounted on the carrying means and components 4, 5 supported by the components 2 and 3, respectively. As will later be more fully described, the components 2 and 3 each carry a folding blade, and the components 4 and 5 constitute the supporting means for a container such as shown by the dot-dash lines and identified 19.

The component 2 includes a substantially horizontally extending arm 2a, mounted on a vertical shaft 16, projecting upwardly through the conveying means 1. The arm 2a is provided with a pair of spaced upstanding lugs 2b, and a fitting 6a, having right-angled extensions 6b and 6c at the ends thereof is rotatably mounted on the arm 2a by a shaft 2c journalled in the lugs 2b. The extension 2c terminates at its free end in a shaft section 7 extending perpendicularly outward, and a roller or the like 8 is carried by the end of the shaft section.

Integrally formed with and extending angularly from' the fitting 6a between the extensions 6b and 6c is a substantially triangular folding blade 6. The fitting 6a is counterweighted at 6d, so as to normally maintain a folding blade 6 in the upward position depicted in Figures 1 and 3.

The component 3 includes a base plate 3a which is grooved along its surface to embrace the conveying means 1, and the base plate is secured to the conveying means by machine bolts or the like 3b. One end of the base plate terminates in a substantially horizontally extending arm 3c. Since the arm 30 supports the same elements described in connection with the arm 2a, the same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts which need not be described in detail. However, as is apparent from the drawings, the component 3 is notswingably mounted with respect to the conveying means 1. Of course, the folding blade 6 functions to prefold the closure defining elements of the container 19. It should be mentioned that the wall structure of the container is such that in the area above the liquid level in the container after filling, the wall is scored or lined to form a gabled closure in which the opposite walls fold toward one another in a prefolding relationship to initiate movement of the other pair of opposite walls toward one another so that they can be moved subsequently between blades to complete folding of the closure, and a guiding of the same into a sealing head.

As perhaps best shown in Figure 4, the component 4 of the container supporting means includes an imperforate Patented Apr. 26, 1960' side wall 11, .a substantially T-shaped side wall 11a arranged at right angles thereto and a horizontally extending bottom flange 10. The component includes a right angled piece including wall forming portions 11b and 110 of'materially'lesserextent thanthe-walls 11- and 11g.

horizontal plane (see Figure 3), and each bore 13 re-* ceives a horizontally extending post 9 suitably'carried by the arms 2a and 3c of the components 2 and 3, respectively. A leaf spring 14 on the mounting block 12 is engageable with an annulargroove 15 formed in each post 9, so that when the posts are fitted into the blocks 12 the components 4 and 5 will be securely locked to the components 3 and 2, respectively.- To remove the components 4 and 5 each spring 14 is pressed inwards, thereby releasing the mounting blocks 12 from the post 9.

Thus, it will be readily appreciated that when -a different sized container is to be processed, it is a simple matter to replace the components 4 and 5 constituting the container supporting means by a new pair of components for the particular sized container to be filled.

To facilitate the insertion and the removal of the container, the cell component 2 and its associated component 5 can be swung from the closed position shown in Figure 3 to the open position shown in Figures 1 and 2, by imparting rotation to the shaft 16, by means of suitable cam means (not shown). Furthermore, the downward pivotal movement of the folding blade 6 to effect the folding of the closed components of the container can be accomplished by locating suitable means in the path of movement of the rollers 8, which will urge the folding blade 6 downwardly when the rollers engage the same. From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the cell structure is quite simple in structural detail, and that the components constituting the container supporting means may be quickly and easily replaced when it is desired to process containers of a different size. When the components 4 and 5 are properly positioned on the components 2 and 3, the container supporting means will be securely maintained in their proper relation respecting the conveying means. The invention is readily adaptable to existing types of filling, folding and sealing apparatus, and the changeover from one size container to another may be effected in a minimum of time and with a minimum of efiort on the part of the operator.

The invention is not to be. confined, to any strict conformity to the showings in the drawings, and changes or modifications may be made therein so long as, such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a conveying means for moving an open ended container pasta filling station, a folding station and a sealing station of a cell structure carried by the conveying means and adapted to support the container, the-cell structure including at least two support ing means mounted on the conveying means, a closure folding blade pivotally connected to each of said supporting means, a container holding component for each of said supporting means and complemental means on each supporting means and each container holding component defining a detachable connection between each container holding component and each supporting means whereby container holding components of different sizes may be connected to the supporting means to accommodate the particular size of container being filled.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, said cell structure further including pivot means operably connected with at least one of said supporting means to swing said supporting means, and its container holding component toward and away from the othersupporting means and its container holding component.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which each container holding component includes at least two side walls arranged at right angles to each other and at least one of the side walls of one of said components having a bottom flange arranged at right angles to such wall to provide a base on which the container is adapted to rest.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said complemental means includes a post on each supporting means and a mounting block on each container holding component having a bore therein adapted to receive the post.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4, in which each of said mounting blocks includes a locking element cooperable with the post to secure each mounting block to each post.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5, in which said securing means comprises a leaf spring engageable in an annular recess in each post.

No references cited. 

